The present invention is directed toward a safety ladder attachment for assisting a worker while getting on or off a roof and, more particularly, to such an attachment which includes a pair of upper extension arms pivotally secured to opposite sides of a ladder.
Ladders, and extension ladders in particular, are often used to allow a worker to gain access to a roof or the like. In use, the upper section of the ladder is positioned adjacent the edge of the roof. The most dangerous time for a worker occurs when getting off the ladder and onto the roof or when getting back onto the ladder after finishing working on the roof. If the worker does not balance himself correctly he could accidentally cause the ladder to slip and/or fall. Accordingly, the worker could be seriously injured if he loses his balance and falls with the ladder.
In recognition of the foregoing, various attachments have been designed which are secured to the upper section of the ladder in order to prevent the same from sliding when it is placed adjacent the edge of a roof. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,306,632, 4,280,590, 4,949,810, 5,165,501, and 5,180,032. However, none of the devices disclosed in the foregoing patents provides means for helping a worker to maintain his balance when getting on or off the roof.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,012,895 discloses a pair of extension arms which are secured to the side rails of the ladders. A pair of stabilizing bars extend between the extension arms to minimize the possibility of the ladder from slipping. Each of the extension arms includes a handle hoop. When being used to provide a worker with access to a roof, the extension arms on the ladder are positioned to extend past the roof edge. The upper portion of each of the handle hoops, which are adapted to be grasped by the worker, are located a significant distance from the roof. Accordingly, if the worker's hands slip off the handles he could easily lose his balance and fall from the ladder. Further, the handle hoops cannot be readily moved from an operable position to an inoperable position.